


Just stains that cover for each other

by little_dumpling



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: (but the panic attacks bit is mild), Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Apologies, Background Relationships, Best Friends, CC-2224 | Cody is a Good Bro, Casual Sex, Comfort, Comfort Sex, Crushes, Drinking to Cope, F/M, Female Obi-Wan Kenobi, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Qui-Gon Jinn/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Mess, Office, Or Is It?, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Qui-Gon Jinn/Tahl - Freeform, Sort Of, Unrequited Love, Veterans, almost too good, bad day at work, former solider Cody, former solider Obi-Wan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:13:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28191480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/little_dumpling/pseuds/little_dumpling
Summary: Obi-Wan has had a bad day at work. A very bad day. She turns to her best friend Cody for comfort, which he is only too happy to provide. Something begins to spark between them, but Obi-Wan is oblivious.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi, CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Comments: 9
Kudos: 59





	Just stains that cover for each other

**Author's Note:**

> Me: working on 2 of my long fics.  
> My brain: yeah, but what if you were writing a modern codywan au?  
> Me: sighs and opens a new writing doc.
> 
> I'm terrible at titles, so this one is inspired from “Man of a Thousand Faces” by Regina Spektor.

* * *

Obi-Wan finishes making the last copies for Trebor's presentation next Monday and sighs. She only has an hour left of work, and then the work week is over. She can't wait to get out and enjoy some time away from these bright florescent lights and her passive-aggressive co-workers.

She begins sorting the copies into professional folders meant for each of their investors, hoping the task will take her right until home time.

She lets her thoughts wander, wondering what Cody is doing this weekend and how Anakin is fairing with his finals, when a familiar presence walks into the copy room.

“Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon, her supervisor nods at her.

The office is pretty informal with names, and she has to tamp down on the urge to call him sir. “Qui-Gon, how are you?”

He nods politely, “I'm well, thanks. Listen, I need you to stay an extra hour or two tonight. There's another package that needs to be prepared for the investor's meeting, and it needs to happen before you leave.”

“Alright,” she says slowly. They've always been quite flirty in the past, and she has been harboring a huge crush on him for the past few months. She wonders if this is an excuse to get her alone. “Will you be staying to help me?” She asks with a hopeful smile.

He gives her an amused scoff, raising one eyebrow. “No, I have a very important date tonight. I'm asking my girlfriend, Tahl, to move in with me.” 

She's surprised because he had seemed like he was interested in her in the past, and yet the fact that he's in a relationship came way out of left field. She didn't even know he was dating. “Oh,” Obi-Wan says woodenly, not sure what else to say, “Congratulations.”

“Thanks. I'll send you the paperwork that needs to be prepared over email. When you're finished, make sure you update your time sheet to reflect how much overtime payroll will need to compensate you for. Please try to make it under two hours.” He leaves quickly, a hint of his pleasant sandalwood cologne lingering in the air.

* * *

The sky is dark when another resident lets her in the apartment building door downstairs and she makes her way quickly up to the second floor, bottle of wine in hand.

She approaches Cody's door and realizes suddenly that she didn't even call ahead to make sure her best friend was home. She spoke to him yesterday briefly, but she'd had the impression that he would be busy with something this weekend. She hopes he doesn't have a date over. She knows that sometimes she can be a needy and intrusive friend, but she really needs to talk to someone, and he's really the only person she thinks will tolerate her just dropping by.

Obi-Wan stands in front of the door for a moment, paralyzed with indecision. She _should_ have called ahead. Or texted him. Or maybe she should have just gone home and licked her wounds alone. Her chest feels tight and she knows she's about to have a panic attack if she doesn't do something to stop it in it's tracks.

She takes a deep breath and imagines something that makes her feel happy and calm, like her therapist taught her to. She remembers the first time she met Cody. She remembers his kind smile and his friendly demeanor. He'd been so welcoming to her, even though he was her senior in years of military experience, and she had arrived to replace one of his commanding officers. She remembers the deep understanding they reached after their first time under fire. The way they always seemed to click.

She's able to take a deep breath, her chest doesn't feel so tight this time.

Yes she should have called ahead, she tells herself, but Cody won't be mad that she's dropped by. Even if she has to leave. And if she does, she'll just ask him to call her when he's got a moment.

She raises her hand and knocks.

* * *

Cody is alone when he opens the door, but does seem surprised to see her. “I thought you were busy this weekend?” He says, eyebrows raised.

She huffs a laugh. “Just busy contemplating how all my thoughts and feelings are always wrong. And I thought you were the one busy?”

He looks concerned at her first statement, but shakes his head. “Just some laundry, grocery shopping, nothing major.”

She can see now that they somehow got their wires crossed. “Can I come in?” She holds up the bottle of wine, “I've just finished a shitty day at work.”

He nods and backs up, taking the wine from her when she holds it out. “At least it's not red,” he laughs and goes to open the bottle. “Have you eaten?”

“No,” she sighs, “I just got off work and came straight over.”

“It's almost eight,” he says, surprised.

“Yeah,” she hangs her head, trying to push away the feeling of loneliness that had invaded her chest as she'd worked those two hours in the office all alone, everyone else having left for the day.

She knew it was part of her job. Assistant office administrator. Well, really it had really been a job made up for her because the big boss had known her parents. And how lucky she was that the job had been made for her.

She'd been so at odds after her and Cody's last tour together had finished. She'd briefly considered trying to re-enlist when she'd found herself stuck in this civilian life hell. And she had been serious about re-enlisting even though she knew she would never pass the psych eval to get back in action.

And then somehow Valorum had heard of her situation and contacted her, saying he'd like to interview her for a job. Really, the job had been a lifesaver. But now, it just felt like another place where she felt so different, so set apart from all her civvy co-workers. She was too strange. She was too damaged. The work felt too meaningless. And to make matters worse, she was crushing on a man that didn't even seem to know she existed.

“I had to stay late to make photocopies,” she said wearily, holding in a sob.

Cody knows how meaningless she finds her position. “Did you at least get to stay after hours with that supervisor you like?” He hands her a glass of wine and gestures for her to settle on the couch. Next to the coffee table there's a basket of laundry waiting to be folded and in the background the TV quietly plays a hockey game. She knows he prefers to watch rugby, then soccer, so there must not be any games playing right now.

She shakes her head, watching as he moves into the kitchenette, pulling out ingredients to make her something to eat. She doesn't deserve this man as her best friend. He's always so kind, willing to go the extra mile for her. “No, he assigned me the work and then said he had to leave for a date with his girlfriend.”

Cody's hands pause as he adds lettuce to the sandwich in front of him, his body freezing for a moment. She can't see his face, only his back, but after a moment he relaxes and turns his head. “I'm sorry,” he says sincerely.

“Thanks,” she whispers into the air between them. Sipping at her wine, she tries to think about something, anything else. “I know you hate wine. I wanted to bring something stronger, but I've been talking with Che about trying not to use alcohol to solve all my problems,” she says a bit bitterly. She pauses, trying to find the right words to say.

“I'm trying to do better. For myself, for you, for Anakin. And I want to apologize to you, Cody. I'm sorry if my behavior or drinking has in any way hurt you.” She says with a hitching breath.

Her hands are shaking. Shaking so hard as she speaks the words aloud, that she has to put down her glass. Why tonight of all nights is she finally apologizing to him? Her and her therapist had been trying to get her to this point for months. Why had she picked today, the day she was feeling down about her stupid crush, to apologize for the alcoholism she is trying to beat? But she's wanted to apologize to him for a long time. And saying it out loud feels good. Like a small weight off her shoulders. And goodness knows she needed that tonight.

They are both quiet for a moment, Cody doesn't turn to face her, which she appreciates. She's feeling a bit raw, and doesn't think she can meet his earnest eyes right now.

“So I picked out something with as low alcohol count as I could, besides that light beer crap I know you hate even more than wine.”

He smiles over his shoulder at her, the expression shifting the scar on his face. “Thanks, you shouldn't have. Next time, just bring juice and we can pretend it's wine,” he says dryly.

She laughs.

* * *

After the hockey game is finished, they watch a cheesy horror movie about a shark that seemed to want eat everything and everyone. She surprises herself by laughing a few times at the shark's determination to eat through the wood deck of a boat.

Obi-Wan very carefully sets herself a limit of two glasses of wine. And considering how weak the wine was, plus the sandwich Cody had made for her, she never reaches more than the lightest of buzzes.

She's glad she had come over. Cody's on fine form tonight, his sarcastic wit is dry and sharp, and his smile is intoxicating.

He tells her stories about some of the vets he's currently working with. His job with the VA didn't pay a lot, but it was a good suit for Cody. His father apparently knew someone at the VA who had helped him get the job, but she knows he's well suited for it. He's both compassionate and sensible in a way that must be both reassuring and authoritative for the veterans he helps. And seems to he love his job, it brings meaning to his tours and current life in a way that Obi-Wan feels a bit jealous of.

When the movie finally finishes, it's quarter past midnight and she doesn't want to move from the comfort of Cody's ugly couch.

“You can sleep there tonight,” he smiles down at her, getting up and stretching out his left shoulder. “I'll get you some blankets.”

It's been a while since she's been sober enough to go home, but tired enough that she's willing to stay on the couch and face the idea of a sore back in the morning. But even if she wasn't exhausted, the lonely, cold bed waiting for her back at her own apartment doesn't sound appealing. So she slips off her shoes and shuffles fully onto the couch.

By the time he makes it back with two blankets, she's already beginning to dose off.

“I accept your apology by the way,” he says quietly as he lays the blankets over her.

“What?” she slurs, though tonight the slurring wasn't from intoxication, but rather drowsiness. That had to be an improvement, right? She has a deep yearning in her gut for more drink though. She tries to ignore it, but even as she's falling asleep her thoughts feel too loud.

“From earlier. I accept, even if you've never had to apologize to me. I've never been hurt by your drinking, Obi-Wan. Only sad to see it hurt you.”

“Cody, you're too good to me,” she sniffles into the throw pillow she's resting her head on. Feeling more emotional than she's comfortable with. “I love you, you're my best friend.”

“I know. I—” Are the last words she hears before she dreams.

* * *

Some time in the next couple of hours, Obi-Wan wakes briefly to use the bathroom. She feels too hot in her work clothes. So she kicks off her work pants, blouse and socks, settling back on the couch in her tank top, bra and panties.

Feeling a bit cooler, she's able to fall back asleep for a few more restless hours.

* * *

When Obi-Wan wakes up next, a couple of hours later, the windows are still dark from the very early morning hours. Her throat is dry and she's shivering despite the two blankets she'd wrapped herself in. The early winter wind is loud against the windows, and the apartment had grown a little chilled since Cody had gone off to his own bed.

It strikes her how alone she feels, even though she is lying on her best friend's couch, and he's just in the next room.

And she is just so tired of feeling alone. She's so tired of feeling cold: both physically and emotionally. She and Cody had never really inhabited a sleeping space with intention. There had been a few times after some exhausting, horrifying days on patrol where they would collapse together, when they got back to base, needing to be near someone. But other than that, there had always been a bit of a physical distance between them. They both had enough PTSD triggers to worry about, and they both worried about awakening them in the other if they got too close.

But right now she feels very alone, and needs some physical comfort. She has few people in her life that she could get that from, and the only other person she trusts to get that close is at a university halfway across the country.

She moves cautiously over to the door to Cody's room, almost without thinking. She knocks on the wood, easing open the unlatched door. Cody immediately stirs on his bed, he's always been a light sleeper.

She sees his shoulders shift, and knew his hand was curling around the knife hidden just out of sight, along the side of the mattress. She clears her throat and tries to assure him.

“It's me, Cody,” she says into the dim room. “It's just Obi-Wan.”

The little bit of streetlight that comes through his blinds show his shoulders relax at her words.

“I was so cold out there, can I get in with you?”

“Yeah,” he says, voice is heavy and slurred with sleep.

She slowly kneels on the bed and crawls in under the light, but warm, duvet that would be easy to kick out of the way if she ever began to panic.

“Is this okay?” she asks the barely awake Cody as she wraps around his back.

He grunts his acceptance and they both fall back asleep surprisingly quickly. If Obi-Wan had been awake for much longer, she would have said they had fallen asleep with the same ease that they had fallen asleep after all of those heartbreaking patrols. Quick to fall under, but unable to fall deep enough that their sleep was as restful as it could have been.

There was something fragile about tonight that was reminiscent of those very worst of patrols. The ones where they'd seen the bodies of children, or watched as their brothers-in-arms fell to IEDs or enemy gun fire.

But she isn't thinking about that. Instead she let the warmth of her best friend's body and his even breathing pull her under. And quickly enough, she's out like a light, arms wound under Cody's armpits and hands clasped loosely around his chest.

* * *

When she wakes up again, they've changed position. She's turned in her sleep, probably her neck had been getting too hot pressed up against him, and she rolled over unconsciously.

But Cody's body had followed her, and is now wrapped up around her back.

She comes awake with the realization that there's morning wood pressed against her ass, and Cody must have just awoken too, because he's frozen in surprise and maybe a bit of horror.

It's not the first time she's felt his morning erection, but it is the first time there is barely any layers between them. And the other times there had been a veneer of professionalism separating even the idea of sex between them.

But neither of them have anywhere to be, or anyone to go home to. And for a moment she is still, trying to decide what to do.

Before she can decide, Cody slowly begins to slide his arm from around her, in an effort to detangle them. In doing so, it rubs his pelvis against her ass again and it sends shocks of shivered pleasure up her spine.

She's never thought of Cody like this. But he's her best friend, and her heart aches from feeling so alone yesterday. It would be nice to feel a physical connection with someone. Someone who understands her so completely. Someone who _sees_ her in a way that almost none of her remaining family, friends or coworkers seem to since she got back from war.

So in a split second, she makes a decision and grabs his arm before it can slide completely away.

He freezes even stiller than before, caught in confusion and awkwardness.

She turns under his arm, until his pelvis is sitting against her thigh and her lips are at his chin. “Don't go,” she whispers against his skin.

He lets out a shuddering breath against her face. It doesn't smell good, but it's warmth feels good, intimate.

She leans her head forward until her right cheek is pressed against his left. “I feel so lonely, Cody. Like life is passing me by. No one understands me. But you do, don't you?” She cranes her neck away and looks into his eyes.

He nods, eyes searching hers for something. He seems to make a decision too, because he gently rubs his morning wood against her thigh in a gentle motion. “Would this be... alright?”

She nods, they're on the same page.

His left hand skims reverently down her chest and abdomen and begins to peal down the flimsy panties she'd had on under the suit pants she'd come over in. The pants are somewhere on his living room floor right now, and now she's losing her underwear too, but she doesn't regret this. It might change something between them. But it also might not.

They're best friends. She knows they always will be.

She pulls her legs up and reaches down to help him get the underwear off.

He throws them over the side of the bed, and just slips the top of his boxers down enough to expose himself.

He pauses, the head of his cock resting against the lips of her cunt.

He looks down between them, but the duvet is in the way. She would push it off so he can see, but she can't bring herself to expose this... whatever it is to the dim light of the morning. It's like if they stay trapped in this little bubble that surrounds them, then maybe it's not real. Maybe then they won't change. They won't have crossed this line that they've never crossed in their five years of friendship.

Instead, his eyes focus back up on her face. In the early morning light, they take on that golden tint that they sometimes do. A deep amber that make Obi-Wan think there is something very deep happening behind them. Something so intelligent and intense, something far beyond anything she will ever understand.

He reaches between them, parting the lips of her cunt and pushing the head of his cock against her vagina.

“Is this okay?” The whispered words seem loud against the quiet stillness of the room, almost like the sound of his voice is shattering the ice growing over the top of a frozen lake.

She nods and he pushes in further.

The slide in is a bit dry, but still arousing. It's almost on the edge of painful. She doesn't say anything though, baring through the discomfort.

Surprisingly, he pauses and pulls back out a bit, reaching behind him to his bedside table. He fumbles with the top drawer a bit, and then his arm comes back with a cold tube of something he drops between them, under the duvet. For a moment they are just still, Cody's eyes far away as he worked to unscrew the top of the tube under the covers.

Then she feels cold gel and his fingers between them, as they pushed in around his cock and spread the lubrication inside her.

His sticky, cold hand leaves that intimate place and moves to grip her hip. He started pushing in again, this time the slide in is easy, like he was always meant to fit so nicely inside her.

She hasn't had anyone inside her since not long after they'd first got back from their last tour. She had made one very failing attempt at a relationship with someone, and then never tried again. The failure had been pretty spectacular, and she didn't trust enough people to get close otherwise.

So it's been quite awhile for her, and he stretches her quite a bit. The stretch makes her moan gutturally and close her eyes.

The cold hand on her hip pushes, forcing her onto her back, Cody's body following. She allows him to move her, letting her body fall backwards.

She is surprised he's moved them into missionary position, it wasn't a position she would have thought to associate with Cody, if she'd ever thought of Cody and sex. But she spreads her legs and lets him push deeper, just concentrating on the distant pleasure of his movements.

She opens her eyes again, and he's staring down at her intently, the duvet still covering their bodies.

He begins to thrust, and she's comforted by his presence. She thought when she'd first made that split-second decision, that intimacy between them would feel a bit awkward, but it doesn't. It feels nice.

She reaches her arms up and curls them around his neck, enjoying the physical closeness between them.

His hands slide along the sheets beside her ribs, and he lowers his face, panting into her shoulder.

His hips keep moving under the duvet until he shudders to a stop, his shoulders shivering under her hands as he comes inside her.

For a moment they are both still, but then he pushes himself up onto his right elbow and reaches between them.

She wonders if he wants to feel when he pulls out of her, but is instead surprised to feel his rough fingers circling her clitoris, then rubbing it gently. She takes in a shuddering breath and lets herself fall into the pleasure, her arms flopping down onto the bed. She arches her pelvis up, pushing into his fingers. He grunts at the movement, his cock sliding out of her.

It takes only a minute, and then she's moaning and turning her head away as she comes.

She comes back to herself, with Cody kneeling up over her, still looking down at her with an intensity that takes her breath away.

“Hi,” she smiles up at him.

He nods seriously and very slowly, to telegraph his movements, lowers his body until he's pressed down on top of her again.

When she doesn't protest, he very hesitantly encircles her in his arms and she sinks into it, savouring the embrace.

Their bodies are too warm under the duvet, but the position is comforting and neither of them complain. Her tank top is sticking to her skin with sweat, and she can imagine his t-shirt is doing the same, but neither of them move for a long time.

* * *

An hour and a half and a small nap later, she has to get out of the bed, needing to pee really badly. He lets her go, sliding out from beneath his weight.

When she gets out of the bathroom, he's dressed in fresh clothes and making coffee and toast in the kitchenette.

She feels a bit awkward, standing in the living room of his apartment, in only her bra and tank top. So she moves over to the couch, while his back is turned, and quickly puts on her pants, blouse and socks.

At first she's worried they've made a huge mistake. She has only ever had causal sex with one other friend, it had happened when she'd been at a very low point on her first tour. And the experience had ended very badly.

But when she sits down at his small kitchen table, he turns and brings her a cup of coffee with a smile and suddenly she is sure things are going to be alright between them.

After breakfast they both have things to do, so she puts her shoes back on and meets him at the door.

There's still a moment of hesitation, but in the end she moves towards him and his arms open for her.

He grips her tightly before she goes. Almost too tightly, like he doesn't want to let her go.

Finally they separate, and she smiles at him one last time. When she leaves she feels better than she has in quite some time. Her chest feels warm and the smile on her face feels natural.

He quietly stands in his doorway, watching her walk all the way down the hall and down the stairs.

She doesn't notice.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Love to hear what you think about this little fic. Also, I have a sequel planned out for this story... is anyone interested in that? Or do you feel satisfied with this ending? Do let me know.


End file.
